Chapter 7 - THE ASSAULT ON THE ESTATE
The heavy thrum of the helicopter blades violently vibrated the crystal chandeliers hanging in the grand corridors of the Moretti estate.
Lorenzo didn't run. He moved with a terrifying, predatory calmness. He stepped out of his study, the submachine gun resting casually against his side.
His lead bodyguard, Dominic, sprinted down the hallway, fully geared in tactical armor.
“Boss, we have three unmarked choppers touching down on the south lawn,” Dominic reported rapidly. “Thermal imaging shows at least thirty heavily armed men deploying. They’re cutting the perimeter fences.”
“Thirty men,” Lorenzo repeated, his gray eyes cold. “Russo sent a kill squad.”
“We only have twelve guards inside the house, Lorenzo,” Dominic warned, the gravity of the situation clear. “The blizzard kept the shift change from arriving. We’re outnumbered three to one.”
“We have the walls,” Lorenzo said simply.
He pointed to the grand staircase.
“Secure the east wing. Nobody gets near my father. Set up a choke point at the top of the stairs. If they breach the ground floor, let them. But they do not make it to the second level.”
“Yes, boss,” Dominic nodded, signaling two men to follow him up the stairs.
“And Dominic,” Lorenzo added, his voice dropping into a lethal whisper. “Put two men inside the master suite with Nora. If the Vipers get to her, they’ll use her and the baby as leverage.”
Dominic’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he didn't question the order. “Understood.”
Lorenzo walked toward the massive glass windows of the grand foyer.
Through the driving snow, he saw the dark, tactical figures moving methodically across the white lawn, their assault rifles raised, sweeping toward the estate.
Russo’s men weren't street thugs. They were highly trained mercenaries hired to wipe out the Moretti bloodline in one decisive strike.
The first heavy, concussive THUD shook the mansion as a breaching charge blew the heavy oak front doors completely off their hinges.
The doors splintered into a million pieces, flying across the marble foyer in a cloud of smoke and snow.
“Fire!” Lorenzo roared.
The estate erupted into absolute chaos.
Lorenzo and his remaining ten guards unleashed a deafening barrage of gunfire from their defensive positions behind marble pillars and heavy antique furniture.
The first wave of Viper mercenaries fell under the hail of bullets, their bodies collapsing into the snow outside the shattered doorway.
But there were too many of them.
The mercenaries returned fire with high-caliber automatic weapons, chewing through the expensive plaster walls, shattering the imported marble floors, and obliterating centuries-old artwork.
Lorenzo ducked behind a massive bronze statue of a lion, bullets pinging wildly off the metal. He leaned out, firing short, controlled bursts from his submachine gun, dropping two men attempting to flank the staircase.
“They’re coming through the kitchen!” one of the guards yelled over his radio.
“Fall back!” Lorenzo commanded, realizing the ground floor was lost. “Fall back to the second level! Choke the stairs!”
Lorenzo laid down covering fire as his men scrambled up the grand, sweeping staircase, retreating to the higher ground.
He was the last one up. A bullet grazed the sleeve of his white shirt, tearing the fabric, but he didn't even flinch. He reached the second-floor landing and slid behind the heavy marble banister.
The Vipers flooded into the foyer below, their tactical lights piercing the smoke.
“Hold the line!” Lorenzo yelled to his men, pinning the mercenaries down with a relentless crossfire from above.
Upstairs, the noise of the gunfight was deafening.
In the master suite, Nora jolted awake, terrified.
The tiny infant, Lily, began screaming at the sound of the automatic weapons tearing the house apart below.
Nora grabbed her baby, scrambling backward against the heavy oak headboard of the bed, pulling the cashmere blankets tightly around them both.
The two guards Lorenzo had stationed inside the room stood near the door, weapons raised, completely focused on the hallway.
“What’s happening?” Nora cried, her voice trembling in absolute terror.
“Stay down, miss!” one of the guards ordered, not looking back at her. “We’re under attack!”
Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the entire east wing of the estate.
The Vipers hadn't just breached the front doors. They had used C4 to blow a hole directly into the side of the house, bypassing the stairs entirely.
The radio on the guard’s shoulder crackled to life with Dominic’s frantic voice.
“Boss! They breached the east wall! They’re in the second-floor corridor! They’re moving toward your father’s room!”
Lorenzo’s blood ran cold.
He was pinned down at the main staircase by twenty heavily armed men. He couldn't reach the east wing.
“Dominic, hold them off!” Lorenzo roared into his radio.
In the master suite, Nora heard the radio transmission clearly.
They’re moving toward your father’s room.
Old John.
Giovanni.
The paralyzed old man who had wept when she told him about her baby. The man sitting alone in room 4B, completely unable to defend himself or even call for help.
Nora looked at the two armed guards standing by the door of the master suite. They were assigned to protect her. They weren't moving.
“You have to go help him!” Nora screamed at the guards. “They’re going to kill the old man!”
“Our orders are to protect you, miss!” the lead guard shouted back over the gunfire.
Nora looked down at Lily, who was crying loudly, perfectly healthy and safe in her arms.
She thought of Mrs. Gable’s cruelty. She thought of the cold, congealed oatmeal. She thought of the way the old man’s eyes had pleaded with Lorenzo to save her life.
Nora didn't hesitate.
She carefully placed Lily into the center of the massive, plush bed, surrounding her with thick pillows to keep her safe and warm.
“Stay here, baby,” Nora whispered fiercely.
She stood up from the bed, ignoring the agonizing pain in her lower abdomen from the premature delivery just hours ago.
She walked over to the heavy fireplace and grabbed the solid iron fire poker from the hearth.
“Miss, get back in bed!” the guard yelled, turning toward her in surprise.
Nora didn't listen.
She didn't know she was a pawn in a mafia war. She didn't know the man in the wheelchair was a legendary Don.
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She just knew he was her friend.
And she wasn't going to let him die alone in the dark.
